Circuit Board

Vol. 40No. 4

Compiled by
Matthew Gorney

1st Circuit

Northeastern University School of Law was selected by the Boston Bar Association as the 2011 recipient of the Beacon Award for Diversity. The award “recognizes exceptional leadership in creating a more diverse and inclusive legal profession that has had a significant impact in Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area.”

2nd Circuit

A team from Pace University School of Law won the third annual FINRA/St. John’s Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon in October. Third-year law students Dave Haimi, Kristen Mogavero, and Genavieve Shingle took top honors at the event that featured 24 teams from 17 states, including Florida and Texas. Pace Law also had a second team compete in the competition. On that team were third-year students Katerina Davydov, Eleanor Osmanoff, and Jay Park. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Hugh L. Carey Center for Dispute Resolution jointly sponsor the triathlon.

3rd Circuit

The SBA at Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law recently hosted “Cocktails for a Cause” to raise money for the FealGood Foundation. A nonprofit organization, the FealGood Foundation “assists first responders who struggle with lingering health effects from their exposure to toxins at Ground Zero.” The event raised more than $1,200 and drew about 180 participants. Faculty and administrators served as bartenders at the event.

4th Circuit

A federal judge overturned both drug and weapon convictions and the 33-year sentence of a man, thanks to the work of the University of Virginia School of Law’s Innocence Project Clinic and partnering organizations. The judge agreed with the clinic’s motion that the verdicts of three years for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and 30 years for conspiracy to distribute marijuana should be dismissed because the prosecutors in the original trial withheld evidence that could have exonerated the defendant.

5th Circuit

In its first appearance at a national securities dispute resolution negotiation competition, a team from Florida International University College of Law took first place in the negotiation round. The college’s Investor Advocacy Clinic team of Sanjeev Shah, Lori Eshelman, and Jennifer Lim won their award at the Annual Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon.

6th Circuit

Northern Kentucky University–Salmon P. Chase College of Law student Bijaya Shrestha won the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 2011 Wildlife and Conservation Law Writing Competition with her article “Holy Jumping Fish Batman! The Asian Carp Invasion.” Shrestha also had the opportunity to present her article at the organization’s annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

7th Circuit

Last summer, Northern Illinois University College of Law’s Delta Theta Phi chapter won a pair of awards at the Delta Theta Phi convention in Raleigh, North Carolina. The NIU chapter won the Most Outstanding Student Senate of the Region and the Best Professional Program of the Region awards. It was the chapter’s second consecutive win in the Most Outstanding Student Senate of the Region category.

8th Circuit

In August, the University of St. Thomas School of Law–Minneapolis began a Federal Commutation Clinic, the first of its kind in the country. Students in the clinic will look at cases of individuals seeking commutation and will also address issues that surround the commutation issue. Professor Mark Osler serves as director of the clinic.

9th Circuit

Two Southwestern Law School teams placed at the National Sports Law Negotiation Competition and Symposium. Jennifer Allen and Timothy Sutton placed first in the competition while the team of Antwoin Wall and Gayane Zorabian won third place at the event that pitted 20 teams from 15 schools against each other. To win the competition, Allen and Sutton defeated a team from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. “I am so proud of our program and this performance is such a wonderful reflection of the commitment of the entire team,” Associate Dean Nyree Gray said.

10th Circuit

The University of Arkansas Bowen School of Law’schapter of the Hispanic Law Students Association won the Law Student Organization of the Year for its fundraising and community service efforts during the 2010–11 school year. Last year, the Bowen HLSA chapter organized several fundraising events to benefit victims of human trafficking, needy families with small children, and to help provide school supplies to needy families. The HLSA chapter also hosts an annual training titled “Immigration Rapid Response Team,” which trains people to respond in the event of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid.

11th Circuit

The George Washington University School of Law Health Insurance Counseling Program was named by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as one of the highest-performing programs of its kind in the United States. As part of the program, students have helped thousands of people to understand and access their health care since the program began in 1994.

12th Circuit

The University of Oregon Law School formed the Nonprofit Clinic in October. The clinic is a joint venture with the University of Oregon’s Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management along with the Master’s Degree Program in Conflict and Dispute Resolution. The clinic will be aimed at helping students learn about nonprofit work and will include hands-on working with nonprofit clients.

13th Circuit

After wildfires tore through Texas last summer, students from SouthTexas College of Law gathered and donated supplies to help those affected by the disaster. Hundreds of pounds of pet food, baby food, toiletries and more than 110 boxes of clothing were donated after two weeks of item collection. The items filled a 26-foot U-Haul truck and were donated to Austin Pets Alive, the Austin Disaster Relief Network, and the Montgomery County Animal Shelter.

14th Circuit

Stanford University Law School received a commitment from the firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP to donate $2.75 million over five years, partially to help establish the Kirkland & Ellis Scholars Program and the Kirkland & Ellis Law Forum. The scholars program will recognize 1L students who perform at a high level, and the forum will host discussions and events about emerging legal issues that interest the business community.

15th Circuit

Last fall, a new clinic opened at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law that allowed students to work with clients suffering because of the mortgage crisis. The clinic focuses on helping clients figure out whether they need mortgage modifications or bankruptcy. It is organized through Southern Arizona Legal Aid and funded by the Arizona Attorney General. Students in the clinic work under lawyers’ supervision to determine legal strategies for their clients.

To find out which ABA Law Student Division circuit your school is in, read about your circuit, and get contact info for your circuit governor, visit the Division’s website. To report news from your school, e-mail your circuit governor and studentlawyer@americanbar.org.